DESCRIPTION: (Applicant's Description) This proposal addresses three important problem in biomedical science via the development of simple and rapid assays for biomolecules. The first goal involves the development of a room temperature color assay for fructose, a ubiquitous, rapidly metabolized sugar. The proposedassay is designed to be fructose-selective in the presence of a large excess of glucose. Fructose determination in plasma is currently hampered due to the large excess of glucose. The second goal involves creatinga mild assay for sialic acid, an important cell surface antigen, to address the problem of current assay inaccuracy based on hydrolytic procedures and/or relatively non-specific and harsh methods. The third goal entails the implementation of a new automated color detection system for oligosaccharides that does not require prior destructive hydrolysis or chemical labeling with a chromophore. Currently no detection technique exists for neutral oligosaccharides that is effective for the visual detection of oligosaccharides beyond three repeat units.